George Melachrino (born George Miltiades Melachrino; 1 May 1909 – 18 June 1965) was a musician, composer of film music, and musical director who was English born of Greek and Italian descent. He was an accomplished player of the violin, viola, oboe, clarinet and saxophone.

Biography George Melachrino was born in London, England. As a young boy, he had a love of music. At the age of five, he began composing and by the age of fourteen he enrolled in the Trinity College of Music. In 1927, he began his career by singing and playing at the Savoy Hill Studios in London. For the next twelve years, he played in many different bands and orchestras. In the 1930s, Melachrino started working for bands led by Ambrose singing and playing saxophone with Carroll Gibbons at the Savoy Hotel London, and Bert Firman, and started playing on radio for the BBC. In 1935, he was living at Ascot Court, Grove End Road, in St John's Wood.London Metropolitan Archives; London, England; 1832-1965 [database on-line].

By 1939, he had started his own band and secured a contract at the Café de Paris. He joined the Army a year later, and received training at the Corps of Military Police where he became a P.T. Instructor. Melachrino also gained experience as a military musician at the Army Broadcasting Department, as Musical Director for the recording of entertainment for overseas forces, leading the British Band of the Allied Expeditionary Forces and the Orchestra Khaki.

After the war, in 1945, he formed the George Melachrino Orchestra, an orchestra that became synonymous with lush string arrangements. From 1945 to 1947, he conducted for Richard Tauber in most of his Parlophone recordings and BBC broadcasts. Beginning in the 1950s he specialized in easy listening arrangements of popular music standards. His ensemble recorded under the names, 'Melachrino Strings' and the 'Melachrino Strings and Orchestra.'

In 1956, his orchestra's track "Autumn Concerto" reached number 18 in the UK Singles Chart, and remained in the chart for nine weeks. His album, Immortal Ladies, recorded in late 1954 had sold over one million copies by 1956, and he was presented with a gold disc by RCA Records chief, George Marek, so becoming the first British orchestra leader to receive such an award.

Melachrino frequently performed on BBC and American Armed Forces Radio.

The "Starlight Roof Waltz", as performed by the George Melachrino Strings, was the signature tune of the radio programme Moeders wil is wet (1949–1974), the Dutch equivalent of Housewives' Choice.

His lead arranger during the British Band of the AEF and later with the Melachrino Strings was Bert Thompson, who also arranged "Little White Bull" and "The Young Ones".

Melachrino has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. On June 18, 1965, Melachrino was found dead in the bathtub of his home in Kensington.

Selected filmography Woman to Woman (1947) The Shop at Sly Corner (1947) No Orchids for Miss Blandish (1948) The Story of Shirley Yorke (1948) Dark Secret (1949) The Man from Yesterday (1949) Eight O'Clock Walk (1954) The Gamma People (1956)

Discography Title Label and catalogue number Year Music for Dining (10") RCA Victor DLP-1000 1952 Music for Relaxation (10") RCA Victor DLP-1001 1952 Music for Reading (10") RCA Victor DLP-1002 1952 A Melachrino Concert (10") RCA Victor LPM-1003 1952 A Melachrino Concert (EP) RCA Victor EPB-1003 1952 Melachrino Magic Strings (10") His Master's Voice DLP-1014 1953 Soft Lights and Sweet Music (10") His Master's Voice DLP-1046 1953 My Lady Fair (10") His Master's Voice DLP-1090 1953 Midnight on Park Avenue (10") His Master's Voice DLP-1101 1953 Music for Dining RCA Victor LPM-1000 1953 Music for Relaxation RCA Victor LPM-1001 1953 Music for Reading RCA Victor LPM-1002 1953 Music for Faith and Inner Calm RCA Victor LPM-1004 1954 Serenade in the Night His Master's Voice DLP-1127 1954 The Music Of The Melachrino Strings (EP) RCA Victor – EPA 491 1954 Music for Courage and Confidence RCA Victor LPM-1005 1954 The Melachrino Strings (EP) His Master's Voice – 7EG 8002 1954 Music for Courage and Confidence (EP) RCA Victor EPB-1005 1954 Music to Help You Sleep RCA Victor LPM-1006 1954 Plays Medleys Show Tunes RCA Victor LPM-1008 1954 Music for Two People Alone RCA Victor LPM-1027 1954 Music for Daydreaming RCA Victor LPM-1028 1954 Music to Work or Study By RCA Victor LPM-1029 1954 Christmas in High Fidelity RCA Victor LPM-1045 1954 Music for the Nostalgic Traveler RCA Victor LPM-1053 1955 Autumn Leaves (EP) RCA Victor – SPD 4 1955 Immortal Ladies RCA Victor LPM-1110 1955 Melodie in Penombra La Voce Del Padrone – QDLP 6023 1955 George Melachrino at San Remo 1956 (10") Odeon URL7300EP 1956 Masquerade RCA Victor LPM-1184 1956 Stardust (EP) RCA Victor – EPA-597 1956 Masquerade (2 x EP) RCA Victor – EPB-1184-3 1956 Sounds of Paris RCA Victor LPM-1261 1956 Melachrino on Broadway RCA Victor LPM-1307 1956 I'll Walk Beside You RCA Victor LPM-1329 1957 Magic in Music (EP) His Master's Voice – 7EGM 8218 1957 Those Beautiful Strings RCA Victor LPM-1330 1957 Moonlight Concerto His Master's Voice DLP-1197 1958 Fascination (EP) His Master's Voice – 7-EGS 77 1958 Under Western Skies RCA Victor LSP-1676 1958 Strauss Waltzes RCA Victor LSP-1757 1958 Lisbon at Twilight RCA Victor LSP-1762 1958 Rendezvous in Rome RCA Victor LSP-1955 1959 Christmas Joy RCA Victor LSP-2044 1959 Music of Romberg RCA Victor LSP-2106 1960 Music of Victor Herbert RCA Victor LSP-2129 1960 Music from Frank Loesser's Greenwillow RCA Victor LSP-2229 1960 The Magic Of Melachrino Strings (EP) His Master's Voice – 7EG 8470 1961 More Music for Relaxation RCA Victor LSP-2278 1961 Music from Bells Are Ringing RCA Victor LSP-2279 1961 The Music of Jerome Kern RCA Victor LSP-2283 1961 More Music for Dining RCA Victor LSP-2412 1961 Music of Rodgers RCA Victor LSP-2513 1962 Waltzes of Berlin RCA Victor LSP-2561 1962 Our Man in London RCA Victor LSP-2608 1963 All the Hits from Oliver RCA Victor LSP-2660 1963 April in Paris RCA Victor LSP-2739 1963 Ballads of Berlin RCA Victor LSP-2817 1964 You and the Night and the Music RCA Victor LSP-2866 1964 Music for Romance RCA Victor LSP-2979 1965 New Sound of Broadway RCA Victor LSP-3323 1966 Something to Remember You By RCA Victor LSP-3398 1966 Music to Write Letters By Vol 1 (2 sides) RCA Victor PRM-247 1967 Love Walked In Pickwick SPC-3234 1971 Play the Tom Jones Hits Pickwick SPC-3242 1971 Love Story Pickwick SPC-3263 1972 Velvet Voices - Velvet Strings Columbia Musical Treasury P6S5532 - 6LPSet 1975 L'Orchestra D'Archi Di George Melachrino RCA – NL 45307 1982 Great Film and Show Tunes (1950-1952) Living Era CDAJA 5469 2003

References

External links George Melachrino site at spaceagepop.com